Dreaming
by Shelbey
Summary: Our Time Is Here, 8 of 18. Tess had always thought that he was the least desirable of the members of Connect Three. She soon finds out how very wrong she was. Jason/Tess


**AN** Wow, this one is totally different than any of the other ones. I think because it's Tess Tyler, but I rated this one T just for safety. Things get pretty intense here. So if you're looking for the fluff that had been with all the other ones, wait for the next one. Just warning.

**Summary: **Tess had always thought that he was the least desirable of the members of Connect Three. She soon finds out how very wrong she was. Jason/Tess

"Miss Tyler?"

Looking away from the mirror, Tess put on her best smile and turned to face the door. Her personal assistant stood at the door, a vase full of flowers in her arms. "For me?" Tess asked, pretending to be surprised as she stood up from the vanity, walking towards the door. As she took them into her arms, she looked at the tag to see what admirer had sent her flowers today. "_A Secret Admirer_?" She rolled her eyes and put the vase aside with all the other flowers she'd received before her concert. "How cliché."

The concert went perfectly, and she even saw a few old acquaintances there. Mitchie and Shane Gray were front row with the other two members of Connect Three, the indescribably handsome Nathan White, with the irritating Caitlyn Gellar on his arm, and their other guitarist, Jason Black, who was seemingly alone. Not that the revelation surprised Tess at all. He was not nearly as appealing as his band mates, famous and talented or not.

Though the blow of Mitchie winning Shane once and for all was not as easy to take as she thought it would be. Even though she knew she was never going to have him, it still stung. As she talked to them backstage, Jason, she noticed, wouldn't take his eyes off of her, and his comments were even more air-headed than usual, if that was humanly possible. She rolled her eyes. Maybe it was.

Through the next few months, the gifts from a secret admirer kept coming, and got more and more lavish. It started out with flowers and chocolates, and escalated to jewelry and designer clothes that she had to admit she wore for concerts because they were too nice to pass up. She even got the most perfect car from the person, a blue Viper that was her exact eye color. Whoever was admiring her secretly knew her love for ostentatious and material things... and obviously had a lot of money.

--

"Thank you!" she shouted to the roaring crowd,

Tess gasped as someone fell into her room, flat on his face and squishing the box of chocolate he had in his hands. "I thought you were singing," he mumbled from the floor, climbing to his feet and dusting himself off nervously. She furrowed her brow, and then her eyes widened, shocked. She knew who this was.

"Jason Black?" she shrieked, a hand to her mouth. He blinked and smiled at her, nodding and holding out the slightly smushed, heart shaped box to her. She gingerly took it in her hands, unable to hide her disgust when she opened it and the chocolates were squished inside the cellophane. Her brilliant blue eyes widened for the second time in a few minutes, staring at the label, asking loudly, "_You're_ my secret admirer?"

He flushed and nodded, his hair hiding his eyes as he stared down at his shoes. "That's me!" he said softly, giving her a tentative smile, his hazel eyes hopeful. Tess glared at him and pushed the box of chocolates back into his arms, startling him.

"Get out."

She missed the crushed expression on his face as she pushed him to the door, slamming it behind him. "But I love you," she heard him whisper outside of the door.

Tess laughed cruelly, shaking her head at the inanity. "They all do, Jason. I'm Tess Tyler for crying out loud!"

"No, they don't." She turned around to look at the closed door, bemused again. She walked over to it, resting a hand against the wooden frame.

She snapped at him through the door, "What does that mean?"

There was silence, and though she waited for his answer, it didn't come. Tess clicked the heel of her boot, trying to figure out what Jason was talking about, even though it seemed like he was long gone, now. Shaking her head, she placed her hand on the doorknob, not knowing what to expect on the other side of the door. She flung it open and looked around, not seeing Jason anywhere in sight. She started to close it, but something red caught her eye.

"Jason...?" She stooped down and picked up the box of chocolates he had left behind for her, and she felt her heart ache. Startled, she realized that she was feeling...

Guilty.

--

"Me, Tess Tyler!" She stepped out onto the stage, blowing kisses to the fans that had filled the stadium to hear her sing, waving to the girls in the front row and touching their hands. "Hey everyone! Thanks for coming out to see me!" The screaming escalated, and she smiled, looking around at the 15,000 people, every single seat filled out.

As she began to sing, her eyes wandered to the seats in the very front and center, and a pair of adoring hazel eyes met hers, making her almost trip in shock. Jason was clapping with everyone, cheering along as a few of the girls nearby eyed him appraisingly. She felt pang of jealousy tear through her, startling her. 'Jason?' she mouthed, walked towards the front of the stage, making a smile light up his face. It was so easy to make him happy, to make him smile. And even though she had kicked him out of her room and been mean to him, he was still here to show her how much he cared.

She reached her hand out and he took it, interlacing her fingers with his. "_Two stars are brighter than one_," she finished softly, pressing her lips to his hand.

--

Tess nearly fell backwards into her dressing room as she pulled Jason along, her lips hard against his as she tangled her fingers into his hair. She shut the door behind them, and Jason had his hands on her waist, holding her close to him. They toppled over onto the couch in the large room, her hands keeping Jason's face close to her as she kissed his neck and then his lips again, straddling his hips. She began to unbutton his shirt, but his hands gripped hers.

"Tess." She stared down into the innocent eyes as he gently pushed her from him, standing up and pulling her to her feet. She was startled, confused, and hurt. What had she done wrong? "I love you," he whispered to her as he backed away. "But I can wait until you love me too." He left the room without a look back, leaving her to sob uncontrollably, staring after him.

It was now Tess Tyler's turn to feel broken.

--

"_I'm sorry, Miss Tyler," her manager said offhandedly, as if he wasn't sorry at all. "But you've lost your label. You're not drawing in as much money as you used to, so they've dropped you. And so have I. Have a wonderful life, Tess."_

She sat on the edge of her bed in her multi-million dollar home in California, depressed. She didn't _have_ to sing and perform anymore; she had all the money she could ever ask for. But she _needed_ to. It was in her blood, in her soul to be up on that stage and singing her heart out. No one loved her anymore.

"No one loves Tess Tyler anymore." Suddenly a knock sounded at her bedroom door, and a maid stood there, a large box in her arms. She walked over to it and took it from her, thanking her in a mumble as she tore into the tape and opened the box. Tugging the object out carefully, she saw that it was a book of love poetry. Written by Jason Black. She hadn't heard anything about him after Connect Three had broken up when Shane and Nate started their solo careers.

Tess was surprised and as she opened the cover, she grew even more so. "_Dedicated to the woman I've loved since the day I met her. I'll always love you, Tess_." She started to cry, tears dripping down her cheeks as she clutched the book to her chest tightly. When was life going to ever be fair?

--

Tess stood off to the side in the elegantly decorated dance hall, her cocktail dress a beautiful green that accented her slim body beautifully as she watched her friends interact happily together. It was a reunion party for the camp rockers of 2008, ten years ago, and it was strange to see how people changed.

Ella sported a short bobbed haircut and was currently dancing with Nate on the dance floor, as Caitlyn White and Mitchie Gray stood by, talking to each other animatedly. Peggy DuPree was sitting alone by the windowsill, writing into a notebook, her hair was longer than it had ever been. Shane was talking to Barron and Sander and Lola to her left, and hundreds of other unnamed campers were enjoying themselves around her.

Why had she even bothered to come here? It was stupid, made no sense. She wasn't going to enjoy herself, it was just going to remind what a failure she was, and how alone she was. The shelf life of a pop star was short, she knew, but she didn't imagine how empty she would feel when it was over. How broken she was inside, and how much she missed the secret admirer she hadn't spoken to or seen in almost three years.

She knew now she was in love with him, there was nothing she could do about that. And now, when she needed him the most, he forgot about her. Every poem in that book was memorized in her mind, and she read them before she went to bed every night. They were amazing, beautifully written.

And broke her heart.

The dance hall was eerily quiet as the doors opened behind everyone. Shane and Nate looked stunned and then excited, running towards the lanky, curly haired figure that was in the doorway. He was dressed in a tuxedo, his hair in ringlet curls on top of his head and his hazel eyes bursting with emotion as he embraced Shane and Nate. "Jason!" Shane looked like he might have kissed him and Ntae looked likehe was going to cry.

"What did I miss?" he asked with a smile, looking around the room.

"Best party _ever_," Mitchie teased, wrapping her arm around Shane's waist.

Jason tilted his head. "Really? Darn, I should have gotten here earlier." They all laughed, everyone exchanging hugs with the seemingly estranged final band member of Connect Three.

Everyone but Tess. She stood by, hidden away from all the happiness. She didn't deserve it. It wasn't for her. But she heard her name said above the din. "Tess Tyler? I think I saw her over there." The crowd parted as Jason made his way through, looking around. She stood still, knowing he was going to find her anyway. Finally, Jason caught her eyes and he smiled, making her heart beat faster. He reached out and took her hands in his own.

"I missed you," he said brightly. She nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. They stared at each other silent, her eyes locked onto his, trying to find something to say. Finally, she threw her arms around his middle, hugging him tightly and he held her close, swaying her slightly as she let the tears fall against his jacket.

"I love you," she breathed. He leaned down and kissed her, much to the shock and surprise of every single person in the room.

He smiled. "I know."

Her own smile spread across her lips, and she hugged him tightly. "Thank you."


End file.
